Side Effects (I) (2013)

A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writer:

Scott Z. Burns

Stars:

Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rooney Mara	...	Emily Taylor
Carmen Pelaez	...	Prison Desk Guard
Marin Ireland	...	Upset Visitor
Channing Tatum	...	Martin Taylor
Polly Draper	...	Emily's Boss
Ann Dowd	...	Martin's Mother
Haraldo Alvarez	...	Garage Attendant
Jude Law	...	Dr. Jonathan Banks
James Martinez	...	Police Officer at Hospital
Vladimi Versailles	...	Augustin (as Vladimir Versailles)
Jacqueline Antaramian	...	Desk Nurse
Michelle Vergara Moore	...	Joan
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Dr. Victoria Siebert
Katie Lowes	...	Conference Organizer
David Costabile	...	Carl

Storyline

Emily Taylor, despite being reunited with her husband from prison, becomes severely depressed with emotional episodes and suicide attempts. Her psychiatrist, Jonathan Banks, after conferring with her previous doctor, eventually prescribes an experimental new medication called Ablixa. The plot thickens when the side effects of the drug lead to Emily killing her husband in a "sleepwalking" state. With Emily plea-bargained into mental hospital confinement and Dr. Banks' practice crumbling around him, the case seems closed. However, Dr. Banks cannot accept full responsibility and investigates to clear his name. What follows is a dark quest that threatens to tear what's left of his life apart even as he discovers the diabolical truth of this tragedy.

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Plot Keywords:

psychiatrist | side effects | doctor | suicide attempt | sleepwalking | 

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Taglines:

This is your insanity on drugs.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

8 February 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bitter Pill

Filming Locations:

High Line Park, New York CIty, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$9,303,145 (USA) (8 February 2013)

Gross:

$32,154,410 (USA) (10 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Endgame Entertainment, Di Bonaventura Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emily Blunt, Olivia Wilde Imogen Poots, Alice Eve, Amanda Seyfried and Michelle Williams were considered for the lead role, Blake Lively was cast but was later replaced by Rooney Mara.

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Goofs

3m 30s into the film the mic, cameraman and camera are reflected in a car window.

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Quotes

Emily Taylor: I'm not crazy, you know I'm not crazy.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Identity Thief (2013)

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Soundtracks

"The Forgotten People"
Performed by Thievery Corporation
Written by Rob Garza (as Robert Garza) and Eric Hilton
Courtesy of ESL Music

User Reviews

In danger of not caring...

I usually love Steven Soderbergh films. And this one starts off with his usual brilliance and had me hooked for the first half of the film.

The first of the film is well-acted, well-crafted, smart and involving.

Then comes the crunch: without spoiling, the second half of the film is quite different. In a sense the "smart" of the film just becomes an exercise in how "clever" the plot can be at the expense of any emotional truth to the characters. I stopped caring for the ensemble as they started to feel like lifeless pawns following the whims of a "how clever am I?" plot-line. You'll enjoy it if you like a Sunday Afternoon TV Detective movie and like solving the puzzle, but this is not great theatre.

It is better than most films, but only just. Certainly one of Soderbergh's most disappointing. Rooney Mara makes it still watchable - an actress to keep following.